Just a quick update to share some awesome news!!! Age of Grit has been Greenlit on Steam!!! Yeeeehaw!!!

Thank you all for making this happen! We are so excited over here–this is an enormous step forward for the ultimate success of Age of Grit! Naturally, we will continue to pursue other means of distribution–such as the Humble Store and GOG.com. But Steam has by far the biggest marketplace for games, so this will really help Age of Grit reach a large audience upon release. Again, thank all of you for supporting us and making this happen!

It’s over! We did it guys! Congratulations–because of each of you Age of Grit is now going to be made! We are so extremely grateful for each and every one of you for believing in this game! Thank you thank you thank you for EVERYTHING!

Age of Grit is now LIVE on Kickstarter! You play the captain of a steampunk airship adventuring across a cowboy inspired fantasy world! AOG is a strategic RPG with a heavy emphasis on meaningful dialog and rich story. The game features fully upgradeable ship components, a novel combat system, and a crew you can level up via detailed progression elements. The ship’s crew are smugglers running various jobs just to scrape by–kind of think Firefly but with Wild West towns instead of planets and a steampunk airship rather than a spaceship.

In a few weeks we’re going to launch a Kickstarter campaign for the game we are currently working on: “Age of Grit.” When it’s done it’ll be released on PC, Mac, and iOS. The game is currently in the very early stages of development. Right now we have some concept artwork, a few of the in game graphics, and some of the basic programming work done–but we’ve got a long long way to go. You can check out some of the early concept art below.

Age of Grit is the story of a captain, his ship, and his crew. The world of Age of Grit is known simply as “The West.” It’s a rough land–a land of robbers, scoundrels, and tyrants. But it’s also a land of great opportunity–for fame, for fortune, and above all for glory. “The West” is a steampunk world; technology is based on steam powered and clockwork based machinery. In many ways the world is a romanticized version of the American Old West of the 1800s–with cowboys, lawmen, bandits, train robberies, and of course: plenty of shoot outs.

Your home is a beat-up steam powered airship. It’s seen better days but she’s a hearty old bird. You and your crew smuggle goods, hunt down outlaws, and fight for what’s right…as long as it pays well of course. Your ship is fully customizable–you can upgrade the guns, the engines, sensors, and all the other main components. When you finish jobs and get paid you can use that money to purchase better machinery from one of The West’s many shops and dealers. Or if you’re lucky you might be able to salvage better parts from the wreckage of a downed enemy ship. As you improve your ship you’ll be able to take on bigger and more powerful foes and in so doing spread your fame across The West.

The combat of the game will be strategic and focus on managing ship systems in response to enemy threats. You’ll have to blast enemy ships to smithereens before they do the same to you. You command the airship by directing steam pressure to the different areas of the ship–specific weapons, sensors, repair systems, engines, etc. You only have so much steam pressure per turn so you need to use it wisely. You will need to know when to strike, when to defend, when to conserve pressure for a later round–and when to unleash all hell on your opponent. How you control your ship’s physical systems is important, but properly managing her crew–the soul of any good ship–is just as critical to victory.

Some of my favorite games of past and present are great because of the characters in those games. Final Fantasy VII, Baldur’s Gate, Knights of the Old Republic and newer games like The Walking Dead or Paper’s Please–part of what makes these and similar games shine is the people you encounter or get to play. It’s part of what makes the RPG genre so compelling. Some characters are jerks, others are weird or funny, and still others you really grow to care about. You root for them and care about their plights. You’re sad when things don’t work out for them and you celebrate when they find their happy ending. They are just pixels on a screen but a good game can really make you care–profoundly–about the imaginary people who live in the game’s world. If you don’t know what I’m talking about go play the recent game “Brothers – A Tale of Two Sons” and try to beat it while maintaining a dry eye. This is a key focus for Age of Grit–characters who are interesting, silly, diabolical…but also characters with depth who players really end up caring about.

Hopefully that gives you a bit of idea regarding what AOG is all about. I’m so excited to make this game–I think it can be something really great. We’ve got some awesome people on board–artists, animators, designers, programmers, musicians–and I think they’re equally passionate about this project. I’d love to hear any input or comments from anyone here! Does this sound like a game you’d play? Any suggestions?

Once the Kickstarter is up and running I’ll add a link and anyone whose interested can check it out.

We’ve seen unanticipated success with our new game Impy! Its had great feedback and seen a surprising number of downloads! A big thanks to everyone whose downloaded, enjoyed, and rated our game. So to celebrate we are holding “The Great iqSoup Impy Screenshot Contest of 2013!”

To enter the contest: 1) download “Impy” from the App Store and play it to your little heart’s content. 2) Review us on the App Store. 3) Take an awesome in-game screen shot (the awesomer the better) and post it along with your App Store review on facebook.com/iqSoup. Dress Impy in some sweet digs and take the most clever screen shot you can! The post that gets the most LIKES will win the contest and the grand prize of a $25 iTunes gift card! Feel free to pester your friends, family, and Farmville neighbors to come and thumbs up your entry. There will also be a an honorable mention chosen by iqSoup–the winner of which will receive a $10 iTunes gift card. The contest begins now and will end Friday, November 1st at 10 pm EST. Good luck!!!

Thursday has arrived! Well at least it has in New Zealand. And that means Impy is available to any of our loyal readers in Auckland. Impy is now making its way across the globe as each timezone reaches midnight and the calendar flips over to Thursday. If its past Thursday, October 10 where you live you can download Impy on the App Store right now!!!

To be released Thursday, October 10, 2013!!! It will be free for the first week, after which the price will be $0.99. Make sure to check it out! App Description: Impy is an enthralling cave-flyer unlike anything you’ve ever seen before! Perfect for short moments of free time. Some have called it the ultimate toilet game–your morning excretions will never be the same!!! Since Impy was a tiny hatchling he dreamed of exploring the depths of the underworld. Now he is old enough to fly; to leave the nest and venture out into the abyss. Guide him through the vast kingdom of the imps, deep amongst the hot fires of the Earth’s core. Dodge fireballs, avoid vegetables (extremely toxic to imps), and feast on the finest delicacies the underworld has to offer. Find untold riches hidden in the endless bowels of Impy’s dark domain. -journey across the underworld in a difficult, nail-biting, mind-scrambling, nosebleed-causing, tooth-shatteringly-awesome adventure -conquer a long series of challenging quests and savor the sweet taste of victory -enjoy dozens of amazing gear items–including a HAZMAT suit, a pretty sweet tomato hat, and a sinister goatee -battle the world–contend with friends and other players through a competitive online ranking system -original chiptune soundtrack by the legendary Beat Scribe himself!!!

After over two decades of frantic searching, I have finally uncovered the epic back story to Super Mario World!!! It has everything! Vacations, awesome Luigi exclamations, slow nods, a beautiful cape, “starry” treasures–what more could you ask for! Also, we learn that Princess Toadstool and Mario are apparently just “friends.” I always thought they were married or at least dating or something. I’ve been such a fool. Oh, and most shocking of all: Bowser is a member of the KKK. As a public service to the world, I have included this incredible tale below. Gather round for the greatest story ever told…

After saving the Mushroom Kingdom from Bowser and the rest of the Koopas in Super Mario 3, Mario and Luigi needed to recuperate from their adventures. Together they agreed that the best place to vacation was a magical place called Dinosaur Land. But while Mario and Luigi reclined on the beach for a relaxing nap, Princess Toadstool disappeared, apparently seized by evil forces. After searching for hours for their missing friend, Mario and Luigi came upon an enormous egg in the forest. Suddenly the egg hatched, and out popped a young dinosaur named YOSHI, who proceeded to tell Mario and Luigi a sad tale of how his dinosaur pals were sealed in similar eggs by a group of monstrous turtles. “Monstrous turtles!” exclaimed Luigi. “Bowser and his bunch have returned!” Mario slowly nodded his head in agreement and, along with Luigi and Yoshi, set off across Dinosaur Land to find the Princess and to free Yoshi’s friends. As they began their journey, Yoshi handed Mario a beautiful cape. “This may help you,” Yoshi said. “Some say it has magical powers.” With a little luck (and help from a magic cape), our hearty crew can defeat the seven worlds of Bowser’s Krazy Koopa Kritters. Many locations are well-hidden to be explored to rescue the dinosaurs and save Princess Toadstool, but there are many “starry” treasures to be found in far-reaching places. You’ll need to search all areas to find out what kinds of treasures are there… in Super Mario World.